How to treat a feral cat's cold or upper respiratory infection?

Hello, There is nothing over the counter I would recommend giving to a feral animal. A lot of respiratory disease in cats is viral based, but even with secondary infections, dosing the antibiotics correctly in an outdoor cat is very difficult and would likely result in antibiotic resistance and a worse infection. There are long acting injectable antibiotics, but Oreo would need to be able to be trapped or handled to be assessed by a vet for the need for antibiotics and to receive the injection. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is probably an upper respiratory infection. it's very common in young cats and is very contagious to other cats as well. It is treated with antibiotic eye drops/ointment and oral antibiotics for about 2 weeks. if left untreated many cats will end up blind or even die from the disease. I advise going to your vet asap to start the treatment right away (there is no alternative treatment).

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Upper respiratory infection in cats is often a chronic disease, it can flare up for example because of stress or concurrent disease process. As long as Scooter is bright, has good appetite and does not have any breathing problems, you should monitor him at home. You should clean the discharge from the nose (and the eyes if necessary) with baby wipes. Offer him warm, tasty food as with runny nose cats can not smell very well. Typically, uncomplicated cat flu symptoms go away after 7-10 days However, if Scooter starts breathing heavily, goes off his food or the discharge from the nose turn green or yellow, you should take him to your local vets for an appointment.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If you think Cotton Ball is in need of an antibiotic for a infection, I would recommend having him examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate antibiotic can be recommended. Antibiotics such as Convenia and Doxycycline are good choices for antibiotics when treating respiratory infections. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Since there are still symptoms of the infection then he needs to be rechecked for further treatment. Some cats need pulse therapy medicine to help keep it under control. Also a lot of upper respiratory infections in cats are viral induced and take time to fully resolve. They do make anti virals you can add to the food to help clear the infection also

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Trixie. You would need to see a vet to get antibiotics, but they likely won't work as most respiratory infections in cats are caused by viruses. There are a few things you can try at home for her. First, you can try starting her on an L-lysine supplement - this is an amino acid that has been shown to help the immune system fight off respiratory infections more effectively. Enisyl and Viralys are both good brands, and can be purchased over the counter without a prescription - just follow the dosing instructions on the label based on your cat's weight. If she's congested, you can also try using a humidifier or bringing her into the bathroom with the door closed while you take a hot shower - the steam and humidity help to break up congestion and temporarily relieve symptoms associated with respiratory infections. I hope this helps!

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! Beatrice may have an upper respiratory infection and will likely need a course of an antibiotic injection. I would recommend she be examined by a veterinarian to have this done before the potential infection worsens and becomes more difficult to treat. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.